Do you still carry a paper map and compass? I'm guessing GPS and Phones get a lot of use on the trail nowadays. I happen to love navigating with a map and compass and have frequently been off-trail enjoying and exploring the places few people go....and finding my way back.
What brand and style compass do you carry, if any?
Baseplate, lensatic, mirrored?

Just curious.

I’ve been a map junkie since I was 12 years old. That is when I started to learn navigation. Went on to a career that spanned over 30 years using mostly USGS quads for precise aerial mapping navigation. Right now I’m using a Suunto M3 compass (but have several others of various makes and designs, baseplate, lensatic, mirrored) mostly to triangulate our vehicle on sketchy backroads, camps, archaeological finds and key points on tough off trail routes that are very important to hit precisely. A field notebook is necessary doing that.

However I’ve grown to like all the scales of maps that can be stored on the phone, some very beautiful maps that don’t have bulk or weight. Navigation is so important that I recommend paper map, compass and gps. Green Trails makes a light weight, waterproof map of the mountain ranges we frequent and Avenza has a stellar gps app with both free and wonderful maps for sale. The 10 Essentials lists navigation as #1 for a reason. I believe in the systems and go lightweight but fully prepared. Had a seriously wonderful off trail canyon hike with girlfriend this morning.

I'm not particularly high end. If I'm in an area that I am not familiar with, I carry my phone (with map app and built in GPS) and a paper map and compass. I either use a military style lensatic compass (because that's what I learned on) or more commonly carry a small SERE compass. I also take a few minutes to familiarize myself with the area so that if I had to, I could walk out sans GPS or map/compass.

I don't do a lot of off-trail stuff and I have a pretty good sense of direction. I've been walking around in the woods my whole life. I always print maps of my hike so I know where the trail is going and to make sure I am following the correct one. I carry a small button compass but rarely use it. I love printing up paper maps off of caltopo.com Then once I complete a section, I can use it for fire starter (depending on location). I call that dual use. I suppose that could get me in trouble if I ever had to double back. But even in that scenario I'm just retracing a trail I just walked down.

I have a hard time keeping my phone charged over a couple days if I am actively using it. I pretty much use it for pictures and emergency use (GPS, calling if I can get to a spot with signal).

thanks for all your replies. My conclusion from the responses is that you all are very experienced and yes, you do carry a paper map and compass, at very least in case the phone or GPS fails. In addition, I think we all agree that map and compass is a basic skill everyone in the wilderness should practice to improve their self-confidence and safety.

Years ago a couple from Arkansas became lost in Big Bend National Park in Texas for five long days with insufficient supplies or equipment. The woman was a reporter and penned a multi part article. She said the map they had was not detailed enough and the area they were hiking showed as less than an inch on the map. Big Bend does have some very visible landmarks so if they had simply brought a compass and knew how to use it they could have triangulated their vehicle and easily made it back to that point and not even missed dinner or spent even one night out. They didn’t even have to have any map to do that. There are various other “tricks” when using a compass that will help one navigate so they should have learned the basics of navigation.

Map & compass always, even on day hikes. My current compass is a Suunto, pretty old, with a sighting mirror.
I probably couldn't use the mirror very effectively, but it's the "orienteering" function that seems most valuable to me.